


Wrapped in Gold, Stained in Red

by powerdragonmoon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Bee My Valentine, F/M, Gift Exchange, chlonath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 07:03:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13676676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/powerdragonmoon/pseuds/powerdragonmoon
Summary: Nathanael knows they are already running late, but when you're dating Chloe Bourgeois, being fashionably late is to be expected.





	Wrapped in Gold, Stained in Red

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AuroraLynne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuroraLynne/gifts).



> Aged-up Chlonath for the lovely and amazingly talented AuroraLynne! Aurora’s art is so wonderful and she’s such a sweet bean!!! This piece was inspired by her beautiful aged-up chlonath designs and penchant for fashion! Happy Valentine's Day, dear!

Nathanael fiddled with his cufflinks before reaching for his watch. He grimaced at the time as he secured it on his wrist, glancing back up at the bathroom door.

“Are you ready?” he called, only to be met with an all too familiar scoff.

“You can’t rush perfection,” she answered back. A pause stretched out as Nathanael walked around the bed in search of his bowtie. “…five more minutes,” came her voice once more and Nathanael chuckled, not surprised at all.

“You said that twenty minutes ago!” he said, shaking his head with a smile. “We are so late.” He took his phone out from his pocket, quickly messaging Sabrina to confirm their lack of punctuality.

When he looked up, he saw Chloe peeking out from the bathroom’s door frame. Her long blonde hair swung over her shoulder, a mix of sunlight and soft waves, and Nathanael hoped she wasn’t still planning on an updo for the event—that would mean even more time to add to their lateness.

But besides that, and his bias in liking her hair free from her signature ponytail, Nathanael couldn’t help but notice one thing:

She looked beautiful.

Her makeup was subtle, sharp winged eyeliner accented with neutral eyeshadow, while her lips carried just the lightest touch of gloss. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would taste like on his tongue.

“Being late is fashionable,” she smirked as she stepped out from the bathroom and Nathanael balked at the pastel pink silk robe wrapped around her slim figure. She walked by him, pausing for the smallest of moments to peck a quick kiss to his cheek as she made her way to their walk-in closet—which by definition was essentially her closet, as her clothes took up so much room. She disappeared amongst all the fabric and fashions, silhouettes and designs, a kaleidoscopic mashup of expensive runway looks, vintage pieces, and one of a kind designs.

It took Nathanael a moment to find his words, still surprised that after so many years a simple kiss on the cheek could leave him momentarily speechless. He cleared his throat, even as the lingering scent of her perfume filled his lungs. “And you’re not even dressed yet…“ he eventually added, catching the sounds of shifting fabric.

“Yes. I know how much you prefer me undressed, dear,” her voice twinkled with mirth, “but it would be scandalous to show up without the proper attire to a gala…imagine the headlines!”

Nathanael was a little too distracted at the thought of what was under her robe to care what the press would say.  

But when Chloe stepped out, he was somewhat mixed between disappointment to see her clothed, and even more so awed by her loveliness. Gone was her robe, replaced with an off the shoulder dress. Its colour bordered between pink and red and seemed the perfect choice for a Valentine’s Day gala event. The fabric looked to be made of a sheer, almost lace-like material, and a thin ribbon-like belt was tied into a bow at her waist. With one hand behind her, she made her way over to him and Nathanael could feel his cheeks blush despite his best efforts.

“Zip?” she asked, before turning, holding her dress up by the front and moving her long hair over her shoulder. The back of her dress was open, showing off her bare skin and a very intriguing strip of lace that caught Nathanael’s curiosity. Chloe glanced up, her bright blue eyes glinting with a hint of mischief even as she blinked at him, feigning an air of innocence.

Nathanael gulped as he reached with slightly shaking hands. His fingers delicately traced along her skin before finding the small, hidden zipper tab. He delighted in the small shudder that seemed to run through her, and he held back the instinct to press his lips against the goosebumps rising on her shoulders. Instead, he choose to wrap his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to his body with a smile.

She giggled as her back came into contact with his chest, and he leaned down to place his chin on her shoulder, closing his eyes and humming as they swayed for a moment in silence.

“Nath?” she whispered, leaning against him.

“Hmmm?”

Her hands ran up his forearms softly, running over the fabric of his suit jacket until she caught his own hands in hers. With a smile she turned his hand in hers, looking down at his watch before twisting slightly in his hold to face him.

Her nose slid against his, her mouth but a whisper of a breath from his. As she spoke, Nathanael could feel each movement, a sigh along his skin. “What was it you were saying about the time?”

Slyly, Nathanael smirked, unable to hold back any longer.  He pressed kiss after kiss along her neck, peppering more and more along the curve of her shoulder before raising her hand with his and spinning her.

Chloe let out a squeak of surprise as the two of them devolved into laughter. Grinning, Nathanael pulled her back into his arms, playfully holding her in a over exaggerated waltz-like frame. He couldn’t quite carry a rhythm, nor did he know the steps, but Chloe seemed more than capable in filling the gaps as they sidestepped around their bed.

“We are so late,” Nathanael laughed as Chloe dipped him slightly in her arms.

“Fashionably late,” Chloe said as she pulled him back up.

However, halfway through the movement, she stumbled over the hem of her dress, its slight mermaid cut limiting her range of motion. Nathanael steadied her easily, now being the one to hold her as she leaned back, arms wrapping around his shoulders.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Chloe hummed in affirmation, her eyes running from his, down to his lips, and then even further to his collar. One of her hands followed, pressing against his chest, as her expression turned thoughtful.

“Unzip me,” she whispered and Nathanael just about dropped her right then and there.

“What!?”

“Unzip me, Kurtzberg,” she repeated.

“C-Chloe!?”

Scoffing in exasperation, Chloe pushed against his chest, standing up straight and turning, walking back towards her closet. Her hand held behind her reaching for the zip of her dress before finally succeeding. The rich reds and pastel pinks of the fabric, slid down her body in a way that held Nathanael’s complete attention until bewitchingly she disappeared, closing her closet down behind her.

He hadn’t even realized he had followed her until his hand was on the door handle.

Instead, he dropped his hand, before calling out. “Chloe?”

“Yeah?”

“Uhhhhhhh…?” he paused. “What are you doing?”

“Changing!” she answered.

Nathanael pursed his lips. “Right,” he said, “right, right, right…UH NO WAIT!?” He took his phone out of his pocket, grimacing at the slew of messages that had stacked up, now including their driver asking where they were. “Changing? Wait, Chlo? We gotta go!”

He could hear the shuffling of fabric from behind the door and he sighed, shooting off a few reassuring texts that they were falling a bit behind schedule, but should be on their way soon enough.

“Well, Marinette will understand!” came Chloe’s voice once more.

“Marinette?”

“Yes,” Chloe said, her voice getting a bit louder, as if she was just behind the door. “Marinette gave me that dress to wear for tonight, but it’s just…it’s not me. Plus if there’s going to be dancing I want to dance with you! Not just stand there all night and look pretty.”

“You’re always pretty, Chlo.”

“Oh, I know. Trust me.”

And Nathanael laughed, fiddling with the cuffs of his jacket, until the door opened once more.

The first dress had been soft, lovely—a dream, and now as Nathanael looked at the new dress he realized how unlike Chloe it had truly been. This new dress was a deep blue, a dark sapphire that was too rich to be navy. It was heavily beaded with sparkles and sequins and the fabric looked like hand stitched embroidery on lace.

_Sheer lace._

His eyes followed each shape of the magic fabric as it wrap around Chloe’s curve in a tattoo-like delicacy that held his attention for much too long until he was interrupted by her not so subtle cough.

“What’s this,” he asked as he circled around her, following the sequins stitched along the deep blues of her dress. His eyes traced the sheer cutouts hungrily, before asking, “Another Dupain-Cheng Agreste original?”

“Ugh, don’t even get me started!” she scowled, as she reached for the two ties he had laid out on the bed. She picked both up, staring back at him and then back at the ties, eventually deciding to go with the bowtie.

Stepping back towards him, she wrapped the tie around him, and he helped by pulling his ponytail out of her way. “I can’t believe they renamed the label that. It’s just horrible. What a mouth full.” And she rolled her eyes as her hands lifted the collar of his shirt.

“Marinette,” she continued with a wave her hand. “Short and sweet. That’s what they should have gone with!” She poked his chest to emphasize the point.  “And much nicer than Gabriel,” she added, not even looking up as she masterfully secured his bowtie.

Nathanael smiled, having already heard this rant far too many times before to know that there was no words he could add to the conversation that would be of any good, even if he did enjoy riling her up over small things. But now just didn’t seem like the time.

So instead he wrapped his arms around her once more and silenced her with a kiss. She stiffened under his touch, caught off guard, before slowly melting against him. Her hands pressed against his chest, slowly running up the lapels of his suit jacket. One hand went up his neck, tracing the tattoo below his ear and then cradling his cheek gently as their mouths moved lazily against one another. Nathanael leaned into her touch, finding satisfaction in the sweet honey flavour of her lips, and becoming even more elated as her tongue ran along his mouth.

Even with the softness of her touch, she felt powerful and strong. He pulled her closer, uncertain as to whether it was him doing the pulling or her pulling him. She was a magnet. His hands ran across the texture of her dress, basically feeling her skin at the spots where the the lace ran as thin as a whisper—and there were a great many of them.

An impatient nibble on his lower lip caused him to smile, and Chloe wasted no time in taking advantage. Nathanael didn’t seem to mind as he opened to her completely, their tongues running against one another as one of Chloe’s hands grabbed a little more desperately at his jacket. Nathanael hummed in pleasure, bringing his hands up to caress her neck. His thumbs ran slow circles along her skin. And he tilted her just so, resisting the urge to kiss along her cheek, her nose, her everything. He knew better than to try to do that so soon after she had applied her makeup. So instead he settled for her lips, happy that she was going with a bare shade of lipgloss and not even minding as it smeared along his lips.

Eventually one of his hands ended up tangled in her long blonde hair. Remembering himself, the time, and the gala that had surely long since started, Nathanael reluctantly pulled back.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him back closer towards her for another kiss, humming in response. Nathanael took that to mean yes, smiling back in victory as his hands went back to her waist.

This time it was Chloe who leaned back.

“Are you wearing your hair like that?” she said.

Slightly confused, Nathanael reached up to his hair, running a self-conscious hand through his ponytail before Chloe nudged him on the chin to get his attention.

“Uhhh, yeah,” he finally responded. “Why?”

“Well,” Chloe pursed her lips, and Nathanael was happy to see they were a darker shade than earlier. “It’s weird,” she paused, causing Nathanael to furrow his brow, “if we both have ponytails, we’ll be too matchy, matchy.” And she stuck her tongue out in annoyance.

Nathanael realized his mouth was hanging open in shock, staring at her before finally speaking. “Your hair isn’t even in a ponytail!”

“Not yet,” she shrugged. “But with this dress…I need a ponytail.”

“Chloe! Really!?” he sighed, running a hand through her hair. “It’s fine like this! And we don’t have time, we gotta go!”

“No Nath! Come on, just take your hair down and I’ll go do my hair and then we can go! Deal?”

“Uhhhh, no no no,” he replied. “There’s no time! Plus, a guy with long hair like mine? A ponytail is classy, wearing it down is too casual, don’t you think?”

“Isn’t a guy with long hair in general just douchey?” Chloe answered without missing a beat.

Nathanael narrowed his eyes at her innocent smile.

His hands on her waist tightened and he pulled her closer, catching her off guard as her blue eyes widened in surprise.

He tilted his face down to met hers, taking full advantage before she put on her heels, to stare her down. “You don’t seem to mind.” His voice dropped into a growl and he felt her gasp against his chest.

She hummed a reply, pushing back his bangs with a small nod of satisfaction. “I guess you make it look good,” she smiled.

Nathanael reached for her hair once more, gently holding a few strands between his fingers as he said, “I love your hair down like this.”  

“Really?” she asked in awe.

“Mmmhmm.”

“It’s not too casual?”

“Nope…”

“No?”

Nathanael smiled, pushing her hair behind her ear and leaning in to whisper, “I think you look sexy.”

She gasped again when he pressed his lips into the space below her ear. Gently running his teeth against her skin before sucking.

“Ahhhh! Nath!” she moaned, pushing half-heartedly against his chest. “No marks! We’re going out!”

Nathanael laughed, running his tongue along his kiss. “At the rate it’s taking you to get ready, it feels like we’re never getting out of here…” and he pressed his lips back on her neck once more.

Chloe seemed to resign fairly quickly, as he continued to lavish her in kisses, ignoring the distant buzz of their phones.

When Nathanael finally came up for air with a final bite to her skin, Chloe groaned at him, half in pleasure and half in despair.

“There,” he smiled. “Hopefully that isn’t too ‘matchy matchy’ for your liking…but now you’ll have to wear your hair down,” he added with a wink.

“‘Matchy matchy’?” Chloe repeated before watching as Nathanael pushed her hair over her shoulder, and then gestured to where his lips had just previously been on her skin. He then pointed to the hexagonal tattoo under his ear.

And he smirked as he watched the wave of understanding wash over her expression. Chloe stared at him, glancing between his neck and eyes in confusion, until her eyes widened and her hand slapped over her own neck.

She batted at his chest with her free hand, squirming out of his hold and walking towards the bathroom, surely towards the nearest mirror.

Her accompanying scream had Nathanael second guessing himself, even more so when she stepped out the door with a glare that burned through his entire being.

“Kurtzberg!” she just about yelled as she stalked towards him, a hornet unleashed.

But Nathanael knew her, and out of everyone in the world, he had no qualms or troubles in disturbing the beehive for fear of stings. Instead he merely said, “Yes, honey?”

She stomped towards him, and Nathanael smiled, waiting for her to bowl him over in a kiss full of passion and heat. However she paused upon reaching him, turning around and baring her back to him.

“Unzip me.”

Nathanael didn’t even hesitate. His hands immediately clasped down on the delicate zipper of her dress. Holding himself back from ripping it open, he pulled down on the tab, revealing bare skin. And he flushed when he noticed the distinct lack of lace from her previous wardrobe change.

Looking at him over her shoulder, Chloe smiled as Nathanael felt the heat rise to his cheeks. She shrugged nonchalantly as she took a walked forward, away from him. The sleeve on one of her shoulders slid down her arm as she moved and with each step she took, the dress fell to the pull of gravity until eventually, with one final stride, a pile of fabric was left on the floor.

Nathanael, whose mind had wandered off into the details of each and every curve revealed on Chloe’s body, barely had time to register where she was going until the closet door shut once more.

There was a pause until—

“Chloe!”

Another pause.

“Yes, honey?” came her muffled reply.

“What are you doing?” he asked, stepping up to the closet door.

“Changing.”

Nathanael groaned. “Again?”

He heard of thump and a hurried curse, before Chloe replied, “Well since you’ve insisted—no, made it impossible for me to wear my hair up…I need to wear a dress that looks good with my hair down.”

Nathanael hit his forehead against the closet, just hard enough to let him know that he wasn’t dreaming. Just to be sure, he repeated the action a few more times.

“Nath, honey?”

“Yes dear?” he answered back dryly.

“How long have we been together now?”

“Too long,” he whispered under his breath.

“What was that?” He could hear her glare in her voice even with a door between them.

He cleared his throat, “I said ‘so long’, my love.”

“Then you should be used to this by now, no?”

“Well…” Nathanael pursed his lips in thought.

And while he did so, he caught her soft whisper, “I do appreciate it, you know…you, I mean. I appreciate you and your patience.”

Nathanael stood up taller, turning his head so his ear was close to the door, as if there were a chance that he had possibly misheard her.

“Yeah?” he asked finally, the sound coming out more like a gasp.

“Yes,” she answered and Nathanael smiled.

He glanced down at the time, this time not too perturbed, before walking over to sit on the bed, taking the time to reply to a few messages.

When he heard the sound of the door open a few minutes later, he looked up—

And promptly dropped his phone.

It thudded against the plush carpet, the soft sound going unnoticed as Nathanael was for not the first time that night, in awe.

“Wow…”

Chloe stood before him, confident and tall, as usual. Her shoulders were held back, her posture impeccable as she raised her chin up at him with a grin. Wrapped in gold, this dress glinted in the light of the setting sun, sparked bright, mixing with the smoothness of her skin, and twinkled against the blue appliques that were scattered like the inverse of the sky along the rich fabric.

She looked like every part a queen, a warrior, a hero, a goddess…

Nathanael stood up, his body running on autopilot, knowing for certain they were now ready to go. He smiled shyly at her as he noticed the red now staining her lips and she seemed to enjoy the reaction she had garnered from him.

He didn’t even flinch when her palm pressed against his chest. And she didn’t have to push hard to have him falling back against their mattress with a gasp. Pulling up her skirt, she easily sat upon his lap, her knees on either side of his legs, while she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Instinctively, and reverently, his hands went to her waist, keeping her balanced before she settled completely.

“Ready?” she asked, as if she were the one waiting.

Nathanael reached up, caressing her cheek for a moment before pushing her hair behind her ear. “Ready,” he answered, happy to see a pink mark blossoming along her neck. He kissed her there once more for good measure.

“You like the dress, I take it?”

“I like you in it.”

Her smile widened, and Nathanael wanted nothing more than to kiss her lips, instead he paused as she leaned in dangerously close, whispering sultrily into his ear, “I think you’ll like me even more out of it.”

Nathanael’s breath caught as her lips pressed against his neck, tracing over the dark outline of his tattoo. His hands slipped lower from her waist.

“I see you found some lipstick on your latest wardrobe change,” he sighed as she continued to sprinkle kiss after kiss along his jawline. “I hope that’s transfer proof…”

She giggled as she leaned back, playfully pecking his nose before kissing the back of her hand. A near perfect outline of her lips were stamped in red along her skin and Nathanael stared cross-eyed for a moment to catch the telltale glimpse of red on the tip of his nose.

“What was it you were saying about matching, again?” she smiled.

“Chloe…”

“What?” she pouted, one hand reaching up to push his bangs back behind his ear, while the other played with his ponytail. “I think this is pretty much a match for your ginger hair.”

She broke down in laughter and Nathanael stared at her unimpressed.

“Chloe, now I have to go wash my face.”

Pressing her lips together, Chloe seemed to try to at least look a little remorseful. “Sorry,” she said.

“You’re not sorry at all,” Nathanael laughed.

Chloe smiled in agreement and they looked at each other, holding one another’s gaze as Nathanael pulled her closer.

“I like you like this,” she spoke softly, breaking the silence.

He tilted his head. “Covered in red lipstick?”

“No,” she answered him simply, a gentle sigh as she leaned in close. Her lips brushed against his before finally they meet together in a kiss. When they parted, Nathanael knew his lips were now covered in red, but Chloe didn’t seem to mind, even with her own lipstick smudged. “Mine,” she said simply, running her thumb along the corner of his mouth.

“I’m always yours,” he sighed.

For a moment they simply sat there, their foreheads against one another, their noses grazing as their breaths mixed in the small space between them. And even as the time passed, neither seemed to mind, stuck in their own world in each other’s arms.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> They end up not going to the gala ;D
> 
> \-----------
> 
> I was so elated, yet also SUPER INTIMIDATED to get assigned Aurora, anything she draws far exceeds anything I could ever write her, but I tried my best, she deserves so much more!! The first thing i think of when i think of aurora and her beautiful art is HOT and FASHION, so i hope i was able to create something worthwhile for your valentine gift dear!!! 
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day!!! and thank you to the lovely beans leoqueen082 and msfairyfreak and all the lovelies in the chlonath server who helped put this together!!! Also thank you to baneismydragon for beta-ing!!! i added another scene this morning, cause i figured the red lipstick was a good touch ;D
> 
> Chloe's fashion was inspired by the following designs:  
> Dress #1: [This piece from the Marchesa Notte 2018 Resort Line](https://assets.vogue.com/photos/594290c7a9698d22f373aa2a/master/pass/22-marchesa-notte-resort-2018.jpg)  
> Dress #2: [This piece from the Zuhair Murad 2018 Ready-to-Wear Line](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2018-ready-to-wear/zuhair-murad/slideshow/collection#40)  
> Dress #3: [This piece from the Elie Saab 2017 Spring-Summer Line](http://media.zhiboxs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Elie-Saab-Spring-Summer-2017-show54.jpg)
> 
> And Tomato fashion:  
> His Cufflinks: [Vedura Gold Cufflinks](http://www.thejewelleryeditor.com/media/images_thumbnails/filer_public_thumbnails/old/1675412/verdura_bee_cufflinks_20140325_zoom.jpg__1536x0_q75_crop-scale_subsampling-2_upscale-false.jpg)


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